BUS BACKUP – With the Hoboken PATH trains out of commission for a few weeks due to Hurricane Sandy, commuters are crowding the NJ Transit buses. On Thursday morning, more than a dozen buses were jammed down Washington Street, including this one, stopped in front of some of the city’s historic brownstones.

Because of the Thanksgiving Day holiday, some of the Hudson Reporter newspapers will have special advertising deadlines.

For The Secaucus Reporter, The North Bergen Reporter, The Union City Reporter, The West New York Reporter, and The Weehawken Reporter, the deadline for classified and display advertising is Tuesday, Nov. 20, at noon.

The Hoboken Reporter and Jersey City Reporter deadline for classified is also Tuesday, Nov. 20, at noon, but the deadline for display advertising is Wednesday, Nov. 21, at noon.

The office will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 22, for the holiday. It will reopen on Friday, Nov. 23. If you have questions about these deadlines or any other issue, please call (201) 798-7800. Also check www.hudsonreporter.com for constant breaking news.

Mayor Dawn Zimmer met with Senator Bob Menendez and the US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan on Friday to discuss receiving more aid for Hoboken residents.

Mayor Zimmer and city officials have been lobbying FEMA and the federal government in order to improve equality in how the city of Hoboken’s flood insurance policies are treated. National flood insurance programs do not treat basements as permanent dwellings.

“For a lot of people in Hoboken, that is their home,” said city spokesman Juan Melli. “They are not getting the same treatment as someone on a [higher] floor.”

Mayor Zimmer strongly encourages residents to register their losses with FEMA. In order for damages to the city to be accurately assessed, the damages need to be fully documented.

“It is extremely important that everyone get registered,” Zimmer said Friday. “Even if people are getting discouraged by the process, they need to make sure they are registered, so that we can ensure that more help is going to be made available to them.”

The city is also looking to fill the gap between what FEMA and flood insurance will cover and what it will take to rebuild residents’ homes. To donate, visit RebuildHoboken.org.

Board of Education appoints permanent principal

On Tuesday, Nov 13 the Hoboken Board of Education appointed Robin Piccapietra to serve as the new principal of Hoboken High School.

Ms. Piccapietra has been serving as the interim principal in replacement of Noreen Lazariuk since August.

Dumped donations on Observer Hwy came from Wildwood

On Monday, boxes of donations from Wildwood residents to help Hoboken residents recovering from Hurricane Sandy were dumped next to the public works building on Observer Highway. People pulled over in cars to pick them out of piles on the sidewalk, causing traffic congestion. Police and a Fox news reporter were lured to the area because of the commotion.

City Hall was closed that day for Veterans’ Day.

Among the items viewed in the piles was a child’s chair, and many clothes.

Mayor Dawn Zimmer said on Thursday that the high volume of donations was left on Observer Highway because there was a shortage of storage space in Hoboken for donations. The items were supposed to be picked up and transported to the Salvation Army and Good Will.

Zimmer said that the drivers felt uncomfortable taking the donations when they saw the need of so many locals who were already picking through the lot. Police on the scene were unsure of where the donations came from Monday, and worked to control the double-parking on Observer Highway that came as a result of the free goods.

When asked what residents should do with their donations going forward, Zimmer said, “We are currently assessing where to place donations going forward.”

Zimmer added, “We are very thankful to the city of Wildwood for being so generous.”

Councilwoman forms county-wide non profit, HudsonCountyRecovers.org

Hoboken Councilwoman Beth Mason’s civic league has formed Hudson County Recovers, a non-profit organization delivering 100 percent of donations to local relief efforts. The league’s headquarters at 1200 Washington St. were open during the two-week aftermath of Sandy thanks to a generator donated by Motorola.

Mason said Friday that state police officer and Catskill, NY (where many Hobokenites live) resident Paul Brown, was instrumental in helping the civic league service people by providing blankets, salamander heaters, etc.

“We need to get our communities to work together, we don’t live alone,” said Mason. ‘It really has been an amazing experience.”

Many community volunteers worked to distribute food, water, diapers, formula, and other goods, she said.

She said several area college students stayed overnight to rest and do their homework.

The group worked with Americare to give medications to seniors and disabled residents, and with the American Cross to distribute food.

“The challenge is that while some people are getting their lives back to normal,” said Mason, “others will be without for quite a long time. The civic league is more than a year old and we are in it for the long haul. I am also reaching out to corporate businesses. We are trying to look for a solution if FEMA and the small business association don’t work, so that long-time businesses don’t have to shut down.”

She listed these charities participating with Hudson County Recovers: the Boys and Girls Clubs of Hudson County, the Hoboken Homeless Shelter, the Weehawken and You Civic Association, the Jubilee Center, the Liberty Humane Society, and Jersey City Moose Lodge.

For more information or to make a donation, visit www.hudsoncountyrecovers.org. Anyone without access to internet is welcome to stop in to 1200 Washington St.

Rebuild Hoboken Charter School benefit rescheduled

The Rebuild Hoboken Charter School auction and benefit originally scheduled for Monday Nov 19, has been rescheduled to Monday, Jan. 28, 2013 in light of the devastation Hurricane Sandy has brought.

President of the Friends of Hoboken Charter School, Elissa Brachfeld said, “With the city facing unique challenges in the wake of the storm and both residents and business owners dealing with extensive clean-up efforts, various levels of repairs and insurance claims, we felt the focus right now should be on the needs of the broader community.”

All tickets purchased for the event will be honored for the rescheduled date. Proceeds from the event will help Hoboken Charter School rebuild the 713 Washington St. building destroyed in the Sept. 6 fire.

For more information, visit www.hobokencs.org

Hoboken Public Library now open

The Hoboken Public Library has re-opened and is back to regular hours after suffering damage from Sandy. The library is located at 500 Park Ave. For more information call (201) 420-2280.

Voting results may take until after Thanksgiving

A county election official said Thursday that the results of Hoboken's Nov. 6 elections probably will be released after Thanksgiving.

Although Hoboken residents voted on Nov. 6 for three school board seats and three public questions, the results have held up pending a count of absentee and other ballots. Residents were able to vote through the end of election week due to delays from Hurricane Sandy.

The machine vote denoted a victory for Board of Education slate Kids First, a “no” vote on eliminating rent control and a mayor/council election move from May to November without runoff elections.

Recently, a school board candidate, campaign manager and a local tenant activist said they had heard that the results would be released next Tuesday, Nov. 20. But that date has been pushed back.

Board of Elections clerk Michael Harper said Thursday that the odds of the vote being counted by Tuesday are 70/30 against.

“They have to be accepted up until the nineteenth, as long as they are postmarked by the fifth,” Harper said. “Yesterday alone I received three bins. I expect that number to fall off every day, but the superintendent of elections has also been overwhelmed by provisionals. It looks like there might be as many provisional ballots as there are vote by mails. I will have those numbers out the minute that I legally can, but if I don’t get those numbers in, we are looking at after Thanksgiving.”

Fig Tree reopens

The Fig Tree, a restaurant at 306-308 Park Ave., was able to reopen on Wednesday, Nov. 7, despite rumors that they were closing. They wanted the public to know that they suffered only minor damage from the hurricane and are now taking reservations for Thanksgiving dinner for Thursday, Nov. 22 beginning at 1 p.m. The fig tree is also open for dinner and brunch.

For more information call (201) 420-0444 or email info@thefigtreehoboken.com.

If you know of other businesses with delayed opening times or storm-related information, email editorial@Hudsonreporter.com.

Anastasia’s Accessories to close

Anastasia's Accessories, a longtime store in Hoboken at 88 Garden St., announced Thursday that they will soon close for good. They will reopen for a few weeks just to sell the remaining merchandise at a discount.

“We are sad to announce that Anastasia’s Accessories sustained significant damage from Hurricane Sandy,” stated an email. “While we managed to save most of our merchandise, our losses were great. Our front door, some inventory, our counter, cabinets, flooring, supplies, furniture, and fixtures were all destroyed or damaged. Having only rebuilt a year ago from flooding as a result of Hurricane Irene, this time we have decided not to rebuild.”

ShopRite offers delivery to home service, Hoboken location still down

Santina Stankevich, a spokesperson for the Wakefern Food Corporation, said Thursday that there is still no update on when Hoboken ShopRite will open.

The Madison and Ninth Street location suffered severe damage from the flood.

However, Jersey City ShopRite will be extending their delivery service and waiving any associated fee, in order to still cater to ShopRite customers. For a list of zip codes being served by the at home delivery service, go to www.shoprite.com/srfh_118/

Makeovers to hold a cut-a-thon

Makeovers, 302 Washington St., will hold a cut-a-thon on Monday, Nov. 26 from noon to 8 p.m. The event will offer $20 men’s haircuts and $45 woman’s haircuts with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the Rebuild Hoboken Relief Fund. For more information call (201) 420-1444.

Morrissey’s Moving Company taking donations

Morrissey’s Moving Company, based out of Hoboken, Jersey City and West Caldwell, will be offering their warehouse as a donation center for items for Sandy victims. The storage facility is located at 50 Dey St., Jersey City. Hours for drop off will be from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week.

Owner Ralph Morrissey has opened the space up to benefit anyone affected by the storm, in all counties. Morrissey will be working with police forces to distribute the goods. At this time, Morrissey’s Moving Company is not accepting clothing but any other goods are encouraged: pet food, cleaning supplies, household items, etc. For more information please call (201) 222-1224.

Resident relief meeting answers questions

A meeting for Hoboken residents was held Monday night to answer questions and provide resources regarding Hurricane Sandy relief. Over 200 members of the community gathered in the Hoboken High School auditorium to hear important announcements from Mayor Dawn Zimmer, the FEMA, the SBA (Small Business Administration) and other specialists. Speakers also answered questions from the audience. FEMA explained that the first step is to register with them as an individual either by www.disasterassistance.gov or by calling 1 (800) 621-3362, even if you have flood insurance. A disaster recovery center is also available at 59 Washington Street B, next the Office Depot. The recovery center is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Those with questions on the appeal process, ineligibility decisions, or other situational issues are encouraged to go in person to the center.

FEMA is potentially able to recover a portion of what the flood insurance cannot, provided there is documentation first from the insurance carrier stating what they will or will not cover. SBA, is also an option if FEMA and flood insurance are still not enough, offering low interest loans to homeowners, renters, businesses, etc.

Hoboken plastic surgeon arrested for allegedly growing pot

According to a police report, Hoboken-based plastic surgeon Richard Laskey was arrested on Nov. 9 for allegedly having a marijuana lab in his condo in Tower 1 of the Galaxy towers in Guttenberg. Police seized over 50 plants, according to the report.

According to the report, the lab setup was very high tech since it had its own ventilation system, heat lamps, and an irrigation system. The marijuana that was grown was high-grade, the report says.

Processed marijuana seized at the condo was valued at $3,800 a pound. Police also seized more than $8,000 in cash.

Laskey was charged with first degree charges of intent to distribute, possession, and maintaining a manufacturing facility. He was released on $50,000 bail and there is currently no pending court date.

The lead investigator was Joseph Kaselica who also worked with Sgt. Juan Barrera.

‘Heal Hoboken’ initiative aims to raise $100K

The NJ Tech Meetup group has established Heal Hoboken, a relief effort aimed to raise $100,000. All proceeds will be donated to the Hoboken Relief Fund. Aaron Price, founder of NJ Tech Meetup, in conjunction with other members, launched Heal Hoboken is less than 24 hours after Hurricane Sandy hit. The group designed t-shirts and sweatshirts to sell through healhoboken.org. Heal Hoboken raised nearly $20,000 in its first ten days and will be accepting donations through Dec 5, in an effort to collect $100K. For more information visit www.healhoboken.org